After finishing last year with the worst record in the NFL at 3-14, the Chicago Bears have made some huge improvements from the team last year. To start off, one of the team’s big moves was signing linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. After these two solid signings, the Bears traded the number one overall pick for Wide Receiver, D.J. Moore, who was brought in to help Justin Fields take the next step from being an average quarterback to a star quarterback.

The hype around the team this year is legitimate. Many people have compared the acquisition of Moore to the acquisition of Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown. Both of these wide receivers helped their respective teams and quarterbacks make a huge jump. A major issue with the team last year was the offensive line, which was one of the worst units in all of football; making Fields run for his life in every game. He did have some great plays last year which were made by him running out of a sack, (meaning he is running away from the defense) which did give the Bears fans a ton of excitement to see those types of plays.

With all the additions that the team has made, I expect them to compete in the NFC North (National Football Conference division), especially with the departure of Aaron Rodgers from the division this year. The only other scary teams in the division are the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings, but that team has no real defense. To be a successful team in the NFL, you need to have at least a competent defense. As shown last year the Vikings have an amazing offense even after losing star running back Dalvin Cook. It was a questionable move to let a player of his caliber leave. But the team has no real stars on defense after losing arguably their best corner in free agency in the offseason, which is more damage to an already questionable defense.

As for the Packers, they have a lot of question marks surrounding the team this year with a new quarterback. No one really knows what to expect from them, and I’m in that boat as well, I don’t know what to expect because of how little we have seen quarterback Jordan Love play in the NFL. Lastly, the Detroit Lions look to finally be out of what seemed like an ongoing rebuild. They have a solid defense and one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL who is being protected by one of the best offensive lines in all of football.

My final say on all of this is my recorded prediction for the Bears. I predict either a 10-7 or a 9-8 season. I know that those are big goals, but with such big improvements made by the team this year, I see no reason why this goal can’t be reached. With the hype built up around Justin Fields and how much he has progressed, this is a jump many people around the NFL see the Bears making this year, and I’m one of them.